Course 03: Designing AI-Enabled Metadata and Ontology (2026)

This course will be held in 2026.

Registration for the Summer School will open on 15 January 2026 at 12:00 (CET).
Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dates: 17th August – 28th August 2026
Lecturer: Professor Sam Oh
Course type: Compulsory Optional Subject (Summer School)

• BA in Digital Business Management (DBM), Computational and Data Science (CDS), Information Science (IS), Software Engineering (SE), Information, Media and Communication (IMC)
• MA in User Experience and Data Visualisation (MSc UX Design), Business Process Management and Data Driven Engineering (BPMDDE)

• BA in Software Engineering and connected systems (BSWE), IT Infrastructure Management (BITI), Business Informatics (BWIF), Information, Media & Communication (BIMK)
• MA in Cloud Computing Engineering (MCCE), E-Learning and Knowledge Management (MEWM), Digital Media and Communication (MDMK), AI Solution Engineering (MASE)

• BA in Information Sciences, MA in Information Sciences, BA in Information Technology
• Applications are also open to students from other study programmes at the University of Zadar, subject to individual request, registration, and final approval by the course organisers

Workload: 120 hours
Credits: 4 ECTS

Sam Oh is a Professor at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), one of Korea’s most prestigious institutions. He previously taught at the University of Washington and has served as Executive Director of the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). He currently chairs ISO TC46/SC4 on Technical Interoperability and has held leading roles in several international standardisation bodies and the iSchools organisation. His expertise includes data modeling, metadata and ontology design, data analytics, and knowledge management, with extensive consultancy experience for companies and government agencies.

This course introduces the principles and practices of designing interoperable metadata schemas and semantic ontologies. It is divided into two parts: the first focuses on metadata schemas and Application Profiles (APs) as the foundation of metadata interoperability, including hands-on work with XML editors and the use of AI tools in metadata design. The second part addresses the design and implementation of ontologies for semantic systems, with particular emphasis on ontology languages such as RDF/OWL and Topic Maps. Throughout the course, students work with metadata and ontology editors to design interoperable schemas. No programming skills are required.

To provide students with the conceptual and technical knowledge needed to design interoperable metadata schemas and sound ontologies, and to explore the use of AI tools in metadata and ontology development.

• Principles of interoperable metadata design
• Metadata schemas and Application Profiles (APs)
• XML-based metadata design and syntactic interoperability
• Standard metadata schemes (DC, MODS, VRA, MIX, textMD, PREMIS, METS)
• Packaging metadata using METS
• Use of AI tools in metadata schema and AP development
• Ontology design for semantic systems
• Ontology languages: RDF/OWL (W3C) and Topic Maps (ISO)
• Designing ontologies using ontology editors
• Introduction to SPARQL and AI-supported query formulation

• Understand major standard metadata schemes, including DC, MODS, VRA, MIX, textMD, PREMIS, and METS
• Design and implement complex metadata schemas and Application Profiles
• Package heterogeneous metadata using METS
• Use AI tools to develop Application Profiles
• Master ontology languages such as RDF/OWL and Topic Maps
• Design and implement ontologies using RDF/OWL and Topic Maps
• Apply AI tools in ontology development
• Demonstrate a working understanding of SPARQL and the use of AI tools for generating SPARQL queries

TBA

• Venue: University of Zadar, SEP Building, Š. Vitasovića 1, 23000 Zadar
• Lecture room: SEP03
• Schedule: Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 16:00 (daily lectures)